Knockshinnie Plantation

The woodland around Knockshinnie Plantation makes for a decent forest walk if you're staying near Kirkcudbright and fancy stretching your legs away from the coastal caravan parks. It's proper forest walking - conifer plantation mostly, the kind of place where the ground is soft underfoot and you can actually hear yourself think. The trees create that useful cover on drizzly days, which in this part of Dumfries and Galloway means most days.

This isn't a destination in itself. It's more the sort of place you'd tick off between a morning at Kirkcudbright harbour and an afternoon at one of the nearby holiday parks - Domes By The Sea is barely a mile away, so it works well if your accommodation needs a break from the seafront. Walkers will get an hour or two out of it easily enough. Kids under eight might find it a bit same-y after half an hour unless they're the type who enjoy climbing over fallen branches and spotting birds.

The plantation is free to access - there's no gate or visible entrance fee, typical for Scottish forestry - and you can turn up whenever. Early morning is quieter if you're after some peace. The paths are manageable underfoot most of the time, though it gets boggy after rain. Allow ninety minutes for a proper wander without rushing. It's straightforward and unpretentious, which suits the area. Not spectacular, but solid country walking within reach of the holiday parks clustered around Kirkcudbright.